Malaria Drug May Slow HIV Reproduction

Research reported in the Nov. 23 issue of the journal AIDS indicates that the malaria drug chloroquine, a cheap and widely available drug, can slow HIV replication in the laboratory. According to lead author Dr. Andrea Savarino of the University of Turin, Italy, the drug still needs to be tested in animals and people but the odds are good that it can be used to treat HIV. "Chloroquine is a cheap drug that is endowed with broad-spectrum anti-HIV activity," Savarino told Reuters.

In laboratory tests, the authors of the study found that the drug worked well against HIV strains most common in the West, as well as against those that predominate in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries.

The mechanism for its efficacy, according to Savarino, is that the drug interferes with the formation of HIV proteins that are "the anchors that the virus uses in order to dock to and enter its target cells." Chloroquine targets different portions of HIV than currently used drugs and, used in combination with them, might make it possible "to target HIV at multiple steps of its life cycle," the researcher elaborated.

Chloroquine also accumulates in tissue and continues working after the person stops taking the drug. "Tissue accumulation of chloroquine would be an advantage in settings where outpatient counseling and follow-up is most difficult," Savarino said. It also seems to be effective against some AIDS-related infections.

"Obviously, the authors conclude, "clinical field trials are needed before conclusions can be drawn on the usefulness of the drug in the treatment of HIV infection in resource-poor countries."

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